


Is It A Trope or Canon—The Stuck in a Snowstorm Job

by crayonbreakygal



Category: Leverage
Genre: Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Feelings, Multi, Strip Poker, Tropes, Voyeurism, crackfic, stuck in a snowstorm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-13 12:53:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14112765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crayonbreakygal/pseuds/crayonbreakygal
Summary: What the difference between a trope or canon on Leverage? It's all a matter of interpretation. Takes place during season four.





	1. Caught In a Snowstorm

**Author's Note:**

> A trope:
> 
> “Merriam-Webster gives a definition of "trope" as a "figure of speech." In storytelling, a trope is just that — a conceptual figure of speech, a storytelling shorthand for a concept that the audience will recognize and understand instantly. 
> 
> Above all, a trope is a convention. It can be a plot trick, a setup, a narrative structure, a character type, a linguistic idiom... you know it when you see it. Tropes are not inherently disruptive to a story; however, when the trope itself becomes intrusive, distracting the viewer rather than serving as shorthand, it has become a cliché.”—from tvtropes.org
> 
> Canon:
> 
> “In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in the fictional universe of that story. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, timeline, universe and continuity are often used, with the former being especially used to refer to a richly detailed fictional canon requiring a large degree of suspension of disbelief (e.g. an entire imaginary world and history), while the latter two typically refer to a single arc where all events are directly connected chronologically. Other times, the word can mean "to be acknowledged by the creator(s)."”—from Wikipedia
> 
> I started to write another fic, then realized that I was reusing the same tropes over and over again. Sometimes I do it on purpose and sometimes not. So I decided to do a study on the canon I use and the tropes that I've made up over time and have included on this fic (or ones that lots of fic writers use). Please feel free to use any of these if you want. It's just my interpretation of the characters and the show. Canon is listed at the beginning of each chapter and the tropes are at the end. Have fun!!

Chapter One—Caught in a Snowstorm

Canon #1—Hardison would die without his electronics and the internet.

Canon #2—Parker cannot stand to be cooped up unless she’s in an air duct.

Canon #3—Nate has serious issues when the alcohol is minimal.

Canon #4—Eliot is a total foodie.

Canon #5—Sophie does not like roughing it, at all.

Canon #6—Being around the four of them takes a toll on Sophie’s emotions sometimes.

Canon #7—Sophie and Nate argue, a lot, seasons one through four.

Canon #8—Eliot does not want to play referee in either relationship.

Canon #9—Sophie hates getting dirty or do any manual chores.

Canon #10—Hardison hates going outside.

Canon #11—Parker is a child at heart and loves doing things like building snowmen or Christmas!

Canon #12—Hardison loves to complain about everything.

Canon #13—Neither relationship on the show was smooth sailing.

 

“Are you serious?  Are you freakin’ serious?  How am I gonna fix this? We gotta get out of here, like right now.”

Eliot sighed into his suddenly not so delicious pancakes.  Hardison was pissed beyond belief.  He got that. Eliot understood why the hacker would be ticked that they were stuck.

“Your little battle will just have to wait.”

“My little battle?  My little battle?” Hardison replied, voice rising. “You just don’t understand AT ALL.”

Eliot just might have to put him in a choke hold if he kept going on like this. Sophie rolled her eyes, clutching her tea mug tightly in her hand.  Parker slouched in her chair, picking at the blueberries on her pancakes.  The only person that was calm was Nate.  It was all just an act though. Nate was the one he was worried about the most. How much alcohol did they have?

“No internet, Eliot. We should have never let you take the lead on this.”

Parker’s intake of breath said it all.  There was going to be a fight, mostly with words, but it wasn’t going to be pretty.

“Read a book,” was the only comment from Eliot as he picked up his unfinished breakfast and headed into the small kitchen.

Eliot thought it would do the team good, to get away from all the electronics for a while.  Staying at the cabin while doing a job had worked, at first.  Now they were stuck, literally.

“Maybe we could drive down the mountain,” Parker suggested.

“It’s white out conditions,” Nate told the thief. “We’d be lucky not to run off the road into a ditch.”

“Listen, we have food, a lovely fire,” Sophie started, glancing over at the hot coals instead of a roaring fire.  “The electricity is still on, so what else do we need?”

“Internet.”

“Not being cooped up.”

“Better food.”

“Alcohol.”

Just then, the electricity decided it was done for the day too.

“Shit,” Eliot sighed from the doorway of the kitchen.

At least they had lots of wood, there was propane for the stove, and water. Eliot would have to check on that once they got a fire going. It would get cold, very cold and pipes could burst in the basement if they didn’t maintain the heat in the house.

Eliot hadn’t minded going out into the woods. It was the rest of his team that had minded.  The internet wasn’t the best though, which had made Hardison twitchy.  There were lot of places to explore, but with this weather, Parker didn’t like being cooped up.  Sophie said that she was dealing, but Eliot could tell having all five of them in each other’s business was taking a toll on her own emotions. And Nate was quieter than usual, mostly letting Eliot take point on this job. Something was bothering him, Eliot was certain.

It didn’t matter though, because they were stuck in a cabin in a snowstorm.  It couldn’t get more cliché than that.

Relationship wise, Parker and Hardison were having issues.  Hardison felt like Parker was smothering him and Parker felt like Hardison wasn’t getting it at all.  With Sophie and Nate, they were either going at it like bunnies or they were arguing to the point of walking away from each other. Eliot did not want to referee any of this. And now here they were, stuck in a small cabin with only two small bedrooms. He was not the third or the fifth wheel in either relationship.

“While I check out to make sure our pipes don’t freeze, y’all have got to carry in wood. Check it for insects, although with this weather, you probably won’t find much.”

“Mice too,” Parker chimed in, making Hardison look like he was going to lose his breakfast.

Sophie looked down at her nails and sighed.  Eliot threw his gloves her way, knowing that her expensive leather ones would not do the job.

“Alright folks. Let’s move,” Nate commanded the rest of the group while Eliot headed down into the small basement.

As Eliot checked out the pipes, he didn’t see anything that might be a problem.  He did find some canned goods, and two bottles of really nice, expensive bourbon that someone must have left. At least Nate was going to be a bit happier.  The crap that he brought wouldn’t last if they had to camp out for a prolonged stay. 

It had snowed at least two feet since the day before and from what the forecast had said, it probably would be at least another two feet more before the storm headed out.  So it would take a few days to dig out.

Once Eliot secured the basement, he brought up the two bottles of alcohol along with a few jars of what looked like peaches for dessert.  He’d make a nice pie for after dinner.  That at least would put Hardison in a better mood. He loved peach pie.

Wood was stacked neatly by the fireplace as Nate poked and prodded the thing to life again. Nate may have been a city boy, but at least he knew how to build a nice fire. Eliot wouldn’t trust Parker with anything dealing with fire and Hardison was basically useless when it came to anything other than electronics.  Sophie may know how to do these kinds of things, but didn’t want to get dirty, so Nate wasn’t challenged to hand the task over to her. 

“City boy knows how to build a fire,” Eliot chided Nate as he handed the man another log.

“Boy Scouts.”

“Your father actually took you to Boy Scouts?” Eliot asked as the other three in the team kept coming in and out of the cabin with wood.

“No, my mother did. The one time he came, he showed everyone how to cheat at cards.”

“I’m sure that went over well,” Eliot replied with sarcasm.

“Pretty much got Jimmy banned.”

Eliot joined the other three, making sure that the wood was stacked correctly.

“Eliot, I don’t believe we can fit anymore,” Sophie finally remarked after bringing in her last few logs.

Eliot agreed and told the other two that their job was complete for the time being.

“Now that Nate has gotten his caveman fix by building a roaring fire, I think it’s time for a nice, long soak. Please tell me we have hot water?”

Eliot laughed a little as he looked at Sophie’s disheveled hair from pulling off her cap, her dirty hands from wearing his gloves and the pieces of wood stuck to her jacket.

“I smell like smoke,” Sophie complained.

All Eliot could smell was Sophie’s shampoo and a bit of her perfume that she used.

“Let’s go build a snowman. Or snowperson,” Parker suggested.

“It’s cold, mamma.”

Eliot could tell that Hardison wasn’t thrilled to go build a snowman with his newly minted girlfriend.

“Go build a snowman, Hardison. Fresh air will do you good.”

By the looks that Nate was giving Sophie, it might be a good idea to get the two younger team members out of the cabin.  The walls weren’t as thick as he’d wanted.  Hardison and Parker may not know that Sophie and Nate were in an intimate relationship, but Eliot certainly knew and had heard more than he had wanted to hear the night before.

“Oh geez, Hardison. Come on. I’ll show you my method,” Eliot said.

“There’s a method?” Parker asked as she walked to the door.

“Wait a minute? You roll balls of snow until they get bigger. How hard could it be?” Hardison inquired as Eliot opened the door.

Eliot looked to Nate and raised his eyebrow just slightly, letting Nate know that the man would owe him later.

Trope #1—Stuck in a snowstorm. One of the biggest tropes in fanfic. It works to strand people who don’t want to be stranded talk about their feelings, their relationships and the sex.

Trope #2 (Canon ??)—Eliot would totally camp out in the woods with nothing other than his wits.  Fishing anyone?

Trope #3—Nate loves to build fires and was a Boy Scout.  Only his mother took him to the meetings.  Can you imagine Jimmy at one of those meetings?

 


	2. Nate and Sophie, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate and Sophie discuss their "relationship" and what goes on behind closed doors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is very explicit. Come on, what were you expecting? It's season four.

Chapter Two—Nate and Sophie, Part One

Canon #1—Yes, Nate and Sophie are in a real relationship. They just don’t realize it.

Canon #2—Sophie really does speak about her aliases in the third person.

Canon #3—Yes, Nate really does use all his teammates’ attributes when planning a job. Or he hypnotizes them.

Canon #4—Eliot always seems to challenge Nate, possibly more than Sophie at times.

Canon #5—Nate never cheated on Maggie. Did he appreciate Sophie for her body and her mind?  Most definitely.

Canon #6—Sophie was and still is very good at distracting Nate.

Canon #7—Tara tells Sophie almost everything that Nate is doing.

Canon #8—Sophie and Nate have sex, a lot. 

Canon #9—Is Nate a narcissist?  Possibly. He’s more like an asshole because he really does care about people, but has a hard time showing it.

Canon #10—Nate does not want to hear about his teammates’ love lives (Boys’ Night Out Job).

Canon #11—It takes Nate a long time to realize he can be a good person and a thief at the same time.

 

Nate smelled more like smoke than Sophie did, but Sophie wasn’t complaining.  When Eliot had told the team, he wanted them to stay in some cabin in the woods while they completed their latest job, Sophie had initially balked. It wasn’t near any shopping or a town for that matter.  But it had done the job in addition to being warm and cozy. 

Nate had dunked his head under the water, surfacing as Sophie dipped her toe in to make sure it wasn’t too hot or cold.

“It’s fine.”

“It better be.”

As Sophie settled herself against Nate, she relaxed as the warmth enveloped her, along with the skin to skin contact of her friend with benefits. 

“Eliot knows,” Nate commented as he shifted to get comfortable.

“He doesn’t miss much.”

“He doesn’t miss anything.”

“Luckily he has the live and let live attitude. Except when you drink.”

“It’s not a problem.”

“You keep telling yourself that.”

Sophie hadn’t wanted to start an argument with him, but sometimes it just appeared out of nowhere. She could feel Nate tense behind her, among other things she felt against her back.

“Sophie,” Nate exasperatedly sighed.

“Let’s not talk.”

“Agreed.”

And that was their issue.  Talking about relationships, things that mattered, or emotions weren’t things that Nate Ford could handle. Was Sophie able to do the heavy lifting in this relationship? Or was it a relationship? Or was it just sex with her best friend?  How could she separate the two? Sex was one thing.  Being in a relationship with a man with narcissistic tendencies was another.  Maybe he wasn’t a narcissist, but he most definitely could be an asshole at times. He did care about the clients and had shown that he cared about the team and their well-being.

Sophie could feel Nate thinking behind her. Her radar was blaring at her, telling that something was wrong, or that something was bothering Nate.

“Penny for your thoughts?” Sophie asked.

Nate pushed Sophie’s hair to the side, giving him access to her ear. Whether he wanted to tell her a secret or have better access to do unspeakable things to her, Sophie didn’t care.

Sophie shivered with delight as his mouth descended to her neck.

“Do you think I push them too hard?” came out finally after some deliciously placed kisses along her neck and jaw.

“Sometimes. But they’re adults.”

“And you will call me out?”

Nate’s hands glided over her thighs.

“If I don’t, then Eliot will. If you can’t listen to me, please heed his advice.”

“I didn’t when you were gone.”

“And look where that got you.”

Nate’s fingers skimmed her stomach, outlining the curves of the undersides of her breasts.

“I know that you’re right. But…”

“He does challenge you quite often, darling.”

Nate lightly traced her collarbones, finally carding his hands through her hair.

“It’s like he makes it his life’s mission to get under my skin.”

“Very much like I do. Nate, have you wondered…”

Nate’s hands tightened over her shoulders.

“No, I have not wondered, ever. That’s not, what I mean, I’d never go there.”

“I didn’t mean to imply, it’s just you fight just as much with him as you do with me.”

“I want you.  Eliot and I would kill each other.”

Sophie had often wondered about Nate and his experiences.  Since he mostly concentrated on Sophie or before with Maggie, she concluded that he was indeed straight, but there were parts of his life she knew nothing about, just like there were parts of her life he had no idea she’d lived.

“Nate, have you ever?” Sophie started right before Nate’s hand came up to her throat, turning her to look at him.

“Sophie, why this line of questioning? Is there something you want to tell me?”

“What?  That I like Eliot? Or that I’ve been quite adventurous?  You know the answer to being adventurous since you did the research all those years ago.”

“All a part of a con?” Nate asked as his fingers tightened just slightly.

“As you know, Jenny loved to party, hard.”

“Speaking about yourself in the third person is still bizarre.”

“Jenny is not Sophie Devereaux.”

She and Nate never really played rough in the bedroom, only the occasional gag on him since he never really did shut up and the occasional handcuffs because she really could not stop touching him. The way he was squeezing her throat though made her think that he had fantasies and wondered the same about her.  She’d played dirty in the past and had almost didn’t live to regret it several times.  Her impression of Nate at first was solid missionary with the occasional kink.  Maybe she’d been wrong.

“You’re Sophie. And Jenny. And Katherine. And Charlotte if I remember correctly.  Which one are you really, Soph?”

He let up the pressure just slightly as his other hand worked its way down her body.

“Which one are you, Nate?  The honest ex-insurance investigator or the thief? Can’t play both sides.”

“I’m a thief and a bastard and sometimes even the biggest asshole on the planet. Which one do you want?”

“All of them. Just tell me which one is the kinkiest.”

Nate chuckled against her throat where his mouth had landed.

“You like Eliot?” Nate inquired again.

Dammit, he wasn’t going to forget she’d said that. Sure, she liked Eliot, but probably not in that way.  She was too jaded, Nate was too much a bastard. Besides, it looked like Eliot was heading more toward Parker and Hardison. Getting involved with the two of them would spell disaster and would break the team apart, smashing it into tiny pieces that none of them could pick up.

“He’s nice to look at. That’s about it.”

His hand squeezed her inner thigh as the other one moved down too.

“There is that,” Nate murmured as he turned her head again.

“You’ve looked?”

“Like you haven’t.  We have three of the smartest, most dangerous people on our team. The fact that we’re able to carry off the cons that we do is partly do to the fact that they’re all beautiful people.  People psychologically respond to that.”

“Which you play with to your advantage.”

“Gotta use what you have. Parker in a tight dress or Hardison with his shirt off is just as handy as Eliot punching his way out of something.  People remember quirky. They don’t remember the girl with the nice legs. They remember the legs.”

Nate’s finger brushed up against her, making her gasp in pleasure.

“Is that what you remembered about me, at first?”

“Oh no.  You’re special. I remembered everything about you. Your legs, your neck, your hair, the way the dress fit, the sparkle in your eyes. But I’m not most people.”

“You were married.”

“I wasn’t dead.”

“And neither am I.  Eliot is nice to look at.”

“Have you ever, I mean, have you and Eliot been together?”

“No,” Sophie chuckled.  “Remember he didn’t trust me for the longest time.”

“Not even while I was in prison?”

Now wasn’t that interesting. Did Nate think that she and Eliot had sexual relations while he was in prison?  Why would he have cared at that point?  It wasn’t like they were in any kind of relationship. One kiss. That was all it was.  Earth shattering kiss that almost took her to her knees kiss. A kiss that did take Nate to his knees along with the loss of blood.

“I was too busy breaking your arse out of prison. Your bed was pretty comfy though.”

“Maybe you could show me why that bed was comfy. But we were discussing Eliot.”

Every single time Sophie tried to distract Nate, he was able to stay on target. She’d have to turn the tables and see if she could occupy his mind and body with more intimate things to think about.

“Running a team takes a lot of time and a bit of obsession. Now I know a little of what you feel.  I do understand.”

The stroke of her fingers was entirely intentional. Hearing him gasp in her ear, she worked her fingers behind her, hoping that the water would give her a bit of lubrication to complete her task.

“You also understand how to distract me from the question. Say if you did sleep with Eliot. It wouldn’t be any of my business. Just as if Eliot slept with Hardison or Parker. Just as long as it didn’t affect the job.”

“Eliot sure does get around in your fantasies.”

Nate leaned up, trapping her hand behind her.

“You still haven’t answered my question.”

“Nor have you answered mine. Do your fantasies include getting fucked by Eliot or vice versa, or do you like to watch?”

Instead of shutting down the line of questioning, Nate grabbed her hair and yanked. Did she finally hit on his kink? Was he that intimate voyeur, just like he seemed to be a voyeur in real life?

“Knees. Now.”

“My, my. How demanding. Not in the tub though.”

The tub was entirely too small for them to maneuver around in, much less have sex in. Besides, the water was just not very conducive. 

“Up and out then.”

Before she could even get her bearings, Nate had her on the floor, bodies still drenched from the tub.  As he roughly thrust up into her, his hand came up against her throat again, squeezing tight. It was the most turned on she’d been in a while, including that first time at his place on the floor.

“You want me to watch you and Eliot fuck?  Or would you enjoy it as I took Eliot from behind as he pounded into you?  Or maybe an all-out orgy. You and Parker together?  Or watch as Hardison and Eliot…”

Sophie’s vision almost whited out as she came hard, her vision narrowing as Nate kept up his brutal pace to his completion.  He literally shouted her name as he was deep inside her. His grip on her tightened to the point of cutting off her air, then lessened up as he panted.

“Geez. Sophie. Just realize that it’s just you. Alright. Just you.”

If that was the most she’d get out of him, then she’d settle for that.  It was a declaration of sorts, even though his fantasies were just that, for the time being. 

“Other than being a good kisser, I have no idea if Eliot is good in bed or not.”

“When did you kiss?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?  We did do jobs when you were in prison.”

“I would have never run a job like that.”

He still held her tight against him, although the hand had dropped to her shoulder.

“Fine. You can have Parker next time.  Don’t tell me you’re not warned.”

“How do you know we didn’t have a job where Parker and I, you know.”

“If you can’t say it, then you didn’t do it.”

“Don’t tell Tara that.”

“What?”

Sophie pulled away, looking back at Nate as he said what he did.

“Well, there was this one job.”

“You did not. She told me everything.”

“See, you were keeping tabs on me. Doesn’t mean I didn’t look.”

Sophie rose from her knees, looking down at Nate now.  His hair was slicked back from the bath, skin a bit pink from the heat.  He looked debauched as he grinned up at her.  Sophie grinned back, telling him she had a secret.

“You didn’t?” he asked.

“Didn’t what?”

“You and Tara?”

“I don’t kiss and tell. Just like I would never tell you if Eliot and I did anything.”

“And if they heard us talk this way?”

“Hardison would run screaming, Parker would ask why not, and Eliot would just roll his eyes.  We need to discuss your kinks, my dear.”

“Kinks? What you see is what you get.”

Nate arose from his position, using the tub for support.

“Maybe we should use the bed next time.”

“As if there will be a next time if you don’t clean up your act.”

Nate grabbed her, pulling her against his cooling body.

Trope #1—Stuck in a snowstorm, have lots of sex.

Trope #2—Is everyone bisexual on this show?

Trope #3—Is Nate completely straight?

Trope #4—Is Nate that big a voyeur?

Trope #5—Did Nate’s religious leanings really mean he didn’t have a lot of partners before Sophie?

Trope #6—Did Eliot and Sophie have sex while Nate was in prison?

Trope #7—Would Nate ever entertain the idea that he’d like to have sex with Eliot?  I think I’m right: they would kill each other in a relationship or even if they decided to go there, they’d kill each other.

Trope #8—Do each of them fantasize about any of the others?

Trope #9—Did Sophie and Tara once have a relationship?

Trope #10—Who is more adventurous in bed?  Nate or Sophie? I’d say Sophie, but I’m sure she brings out things in Nate that he never thinks to explore.

Trope #11—Had Nate and Sophie kissed before The Maltese Falcon Job? There are hints in the first season. We will never know for sure. I think so.

Trope #12—Could the timeline change when their teammates find out about their “relationship”?  Most certainly.  Did Eliot know sooner?  We don’t know this but come on. Eliot misses almost nothing.


	3. Parker and Hardison

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parker and Hardison decide that they are indeed in a relationship. And other stuff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More explicit material. In a snowstorm.

Chapter Three—Parker and Hardison

Canon #1—Parker and Hardison are slowly working toward a relationship.

Canon #2—Hardison is slow playing it when it comes to sex or a relationship with Parker (Boys’ Night Out Job).

Canon #3—Parker got naked several times on the show in front of the team, except for Nate.

Canon #4—Things they highlight on the show:  Nate’s smirk; Sophie’s legs; Hardison’s arm muscles; Eliot’s scars; Parker’s unreal laugh.

Canon #5—Parker likes everyone on the team and trusts them. I think she even trusted Sophie after the First David/Second David issue.  She just wanted Sophie to say she’s sorry.

Canon #6—Hardison thinks that sex is nasty.

Canon #7 (Trope ??)—They never really came out and said it, but there must have been something between Hardison, Parker and Eliot.  You don’t make a short to add to the release of the DVDs hinting of it if your mind isn’t going there.  There are so many hints to it, especially in the last episode.  The producers were OTP3, why can’t we imagine it? Geez, the three of them had such chemistry together. All five had great chemistry together.

 

Parker sighed when she came back in from the cold.  Both Hardison and Eliot were having a snowball fight. For some strange reason, she just wasn’t feeling it.  Her fingers were a bit frozen too, which had made her grumpy. 

It was her idea to play in the snow. So why was she feeling a bit left out?  Hardison’s grumpiness had filtered over to her she guessed.  The racket in the bathroom made her even more grumpy, so instead of listening to the shouting from inside and out, she climbed the stairs to the bedroom. Hopefully snuggling in a warm bed would put her in a better mood.  

Hardison was just not getting it.  He was interested in her, wanted to be around her. Then he didn’t. It was like he didn’t want to change his life to include her in these last few weeks. She’d even asked him if she could join his little orc family to play those games he liked so much.  He choked on his orange soda.  She wouldn’t ask again.

Then Eliot had been grumpy with her, telling her to cool it when she poked him in the ribs.  Neither one of them was fun anymore.  The fact that Nate and Sophie were having sex in the bathroom put her in an even worse mood.  Maybe later she’d jump Hardison, just like in those romance novels.  Not that she read those things.  Stuck in a snowstorm had to account for something. 

Stripping her clothes off down to her underwear, Parker snuggled into the warm blankets. Nate’s fire building skills were making the upstairs nice and toasty.  Parker drifted until the door to the bedroom opened to reveal Hardison. He’d taken off his outerwear and shoes, but still had on the rest of his clothes.  As she watched him strip, she realized that he didn’t know she was in the blankets since the only thing showing was her eyes.  The light in the room was minimal since the shades were drawn, the snow coming down darkening the room even more. 

It was so ironic that Hardison was so stunningly built, but he couldn’t throw a punch.  He worked out constantly, with the muscles to show for his efforts.  Why did he project this persona of not being physical? Was it just a geek thing or because he thought he couldn’t throw a punch as well as Eliot?  She loved his muscles, how tight his ass was, his smile when he found a solution to a problem, the way his mind worked. What she liked was him. Even if he had looked a little more like Nate, who didn’t work out as much, she’d still like him.  Hell, she liked Nate most of the time when he wasn’t being a jerk.  She liked Eliot too, only she didn’t want the hitter to know that.  Sophie was probably the most beautiful creature she’d seen. 

So why was her team so uptight and not proud of their bodies?  Sophie was so insecure sometimes about her body because of her age. If she had legs like Sophie did, she’d flaunt it.  Hardison didn’t realize how strong he was. He deferred to Eliot way too much on those things. And Eliot?  He thought his body was just a punching bag for them to use, especially for Nate to use.  Nate was the worst of all. All that drinking and sometimes no sleep couldn’t be good for a man his age.  Sure, he was more sadistic when he didn’t drink. Parker understood sadistic though. 

Parker wasn’t embarrassed by her body. She knew it could do wonderful things, like climb up buildings, repel down elevator shafts.  Maybe she shouldn’t eat so much sugar, but she had Eliot to help her out with that. 

They were all so damn beautiful that it hurt sometimes to look at them during briefings.  It wasn’t just their outward appearance, it was what she saw when she really looked at them.  Sophie would hate it if Parker told her that she loved her little laugh lines around her eyes. Her little snort giggle made Parker feel all warm inside.  All of Eliot’s scars, especially the ones that he couldn’t cover up made Parker feel loved because he’d come by those by protecting the team.  Nate’s smile, when he really smiled instead of smirked (because he could out smirk anyone on the planet), was a bit crooked, but it fit him to a T.  That was who he really was, their flawed leader, who tried to hold all those emotions in check, so he could get the job done.  His voice in those comms are what held her together when things went wrong, and they went wrong more than either Nate or the rest of the team would admit.  Hardison’s smile could light up a room in addition to the way he cared about each one of them.  He was just so damn good at what he did, saving their lives repeatedly.

As Hardison finally was down to his boxers (the ones with the hearts on them), she finally decided to tell him she was watching the show.

“Cold?” she asked, making him startle.

At first, he covered vital parts, then he just took his hands away and tried to be cool.

“Sorry. I didn’t know you were up here. If you want me to leave.”

“No. I want you to stay. I can warm you up.”

“I guess, I mean, yeah. I’m cold. Eliot decided to put a damn snowball down my back. It got serious. I just had to retaliate and push him into a snowbank. It was cool though.  I only got hit in the face a few times.  I got him.”

“Hardison, quit talking.”

“Yeah. Probably should do that.”

Lifting the blankets, Hardison slid into the little cocoon that Parker had made for herself.

“Oh my god, that is so warm. Thanks for sharing.”

“Any time.”

Hardison hadn’t gotten any closer though, which worried her.

“I came up here because Sophie and Nate were in the bathroom. Lots of noise. So, yeah.”

“Do they think they’re fooling anyone?  Clothes everywhere at Nate’s place. Kind of a clue.  They think they’re being sneaky. We’ll just let them think that until they’re really caught. I’m not gonna interfere.”

Parker moved closer to Hardison.

“You haven’t walked in on them, have you?”

Parker usually wasn’t a gossip, but this was too good to pass up.

“I said I wasn’t gonna interfere. That’s all. I mean, I try to make as much noise as I can when I come into the office. There were a few times.”

“Seriously?”

“Mostly sounds. Sophie is loud. I mean really loud.  I don’t know what he’s doing to her.”

“I can just imagine,” Parker blurted out.

Hardison’s head swiveled around fast to stare into her eyes. Since she wasn’t more than a foot from him, he almost bonked into her.

“Imagine?” Hardison started.

“Well, I mean, come on.”

“Not sure what you’re getting at.  It’s like thinking about your parents.”

No, it wasn’t that way because Parker never knew her parents and both Nate and Sophie weren’t quite old enough to be her parents unless Nate had been very young when it happened.  Besides, the tingle she got sometimes when he gave orders over the comms was most certainly not very parental.

Hardison looked at her pointedly, eyes starting to bulge out just a bit.

“Ok, so you think of them, like that.”

“Come on. This is Sophie.”

Hardison turned to face her as she did the same. Their faces were mere inches from each other. 

“Yes, it’s Sophie, who is utterly gorgeous.”

“Hardison, are you asking me if I like Sophie?”

“I mean, it’s ok if you do. You can like people or really like people, if you know what I mean.”

“You’re who I like. Doesn’t mean I can appreciate Sophie.  Damn, she can rock a dress like no other.”

“There is that,” Hardison laughed.

Parker smiled at Hardison’s assessment.  “How about Eliot or Nate? I mean, I would be totally alright with whatever you like or need. You just gotta tell me.”

She just wasn’t expecting him to right at that moment kiss her. And it just wasn’t one of those pecks on the cheek or quick kisses on the mouth that she’d received so far. This was lips and teeth and then tongue. Pulling back, they both were panting hard once it was all said and done.

“You want to do that because of thinking of Sophie or the others?”

“No, I was thinking about you and only you.”

“I mean, if you do think about them, it’s ok. Fantasies are just that. Fantasies.”  Parker saw the eyebrow go up when she said fantasies.  “Why do I have the feeling that it just isn’t fantasy.”

“As I said before, I always try to be as noisy as I can.  Can’t hear me over all that moaning that Sophie does. I may have seen a bit too much a time or two.”

With that, Parker pushed him over and climbed on top, chest to chest and everything over and between. It was nice to feel Hardison, his arms now coming around her, his long legs starting to entangle in her own.

“If I knew that this would turn you on, I would have spilled the beans much sooner.”

“Better than porn?”

Hardison’s hand came up over his mouth, like he was trying to hold back what he was going to say.  “You watch porn?”

“Who hasn’t. It’s alright, but the real thing is better.”

Parker could tell he sort of wanted to agree with her.  “I know. Cliché. Guys get off on porn. Next question.”

“What did you see?” Parker asked as she started to nibble on his neck.

“I shouldn’t be gossiping. Let’s just say Sophie has a really nice backside and leave it at that.”

“That’s it?”

Did Parker really want to know what it was like to watch Nate and Sophie go at it?  It could have been epic or plain vanilla.

“Well, I mean, there was moaning and movement. A lot of movement.  Now why are we talking about this?”

Parker suddenly sat up, wrenched off her bra and scooted off her underwear in no time flat. 

“Wow,” was all Hardison could say before thrusting up into her, even though he still had his boxers on.

“Want me to take care of those?”

“Are you sure? I mean, yeah. Take care of those. I just want to make sure.”

“I’ve got a condom.”

“Hell, yes. What else do you want to know?”

“All of it.”

Hardison’s hands came up hesitantly to touch her. The pads of his fingers were callused, probably from all the work he did on his computers. It felt good against her skin.

“You’re so soft,” he sighed out as she rubbed herself against him. “Geez, ok.  Hands were everywhere. I only saw a few minutes. Sophie likes to pull hair. Probably why Nate lets his hair grow a little long.  They also like to do it in strange places like the kitchen.”

“So that’s why you were scrubbing that one day.”

“You better believe it. The counter. He had her up on the counter.”

Parker had never been so turned on in her whole life.

“He was doing things to her with his mouth. That’s what was making her groan so loud. I’m surprised they couldn’t hear it in the next county.  Then he just takes her and spins her around. It probably didn’t take more than a few thrusts and she was just gone.”

“Fuck, Hardison,” was all Parker could get out before she decided that she wanted to go also, just like Sophie had.

It wasn’t exactly smooth for a first time, but once he hit that right spot, Parker clenched around him, which made him groan out in pleasure.

“Oh geez, that was fast,” Parker panted as she collapsed on top of him.

“Do not, under any circumstances, tell either one of them what I saw, what I told you and what we just did. Awkward.”

“What? It’s bad enough right now that they try to hide it.”

“Well, what do you think we will have to do?”

“So, no more fantasies about our teammates.”

“I didn’t say that,” Hardison said as he rolled her off him, coming with her to snuggle up.

“Good. Because I want to fantasize about Eliot next.”

“You and me both.”

Now wasn’t that interesting, Parker thought.

Trope #1—Parker knows about Nate and Sophie before The Boiler Room Job because she catches them one time.

Trope #2—Hardison most definitely knows about Nate and Sophie because he probably catches them one time when he shows up at the apartment unannounced.

Trope #3—Everyone, except for Parker, doesn’t think that their bodies are perfect.  Whether it’s an age thing (Sophie and Nate) or not being comfortable in their own bodies (Hardison), the team has body issues.  That’s not necessarily shown on the show, but there are minor hints here and there.

Trope #4—Parker is actually attracted to everyone on the team.

Trope #5—Nate’s bossiness and voice over the comms could be a big turn on for all the team. I’m just sayin’.

Trope #6 (Canon ??)—Eliot and Hardison would do things like snowball fights or nerfwars. They like being physical with one another.

Trope #7—Parker sees each of her teammates as beautiful, but possibly doesn’t think she is herself.

Trope #8—Sophie is really loud during sex.

Trope #9—Both Hardison and Parker think about sex with their teammates.

Trope #10 (Canon ??)—Hardison has trouble thinking about sex between Sophie and Nate because they are so much like parents to him.

Trope #11 (Canon ??)—They all gossip about each other.


	4. Eliot, Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eliot wants to take a nap, dammit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is way too short.

Chapter Four—Eliot, Part One

Canon #1 and Trope #1—Eliot is the third wheel.

If it wasn’t Nate and Sophie making all sorts of noises in the one bedroom, it was Parker and Hardison doing the same damn thing in the other.  At least there was a semi-comfortable sofa directly in front of the fire to keep him warm.  He didn’t have anybody to share that with and that was his choice.

He could nap and dream all he liked, without the interference from any of his damn team. 


	5. Nate and Sophie, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sophie is Nate's next addiction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another explicit chapter.

Chapter Five—Nate and Sophie, Part Two

Canon #1—Nate and Sophie had sex all the damn time.  It’s true. Listen to the commentaries of the videos where the producers talk about having a relationship like they have.  Or maybe I’m embellishing.

Canon #2 (Trope ??)—Nate is plain vanilla in the bedroom. Prom night anyone?  Geez, Maggie kills it with that comment.  This is when I fall in love with her.  Everyone hears too.

 

Stranded in a snowstorm, without anything else to do but keep warm.  Sounded like the start of a porn movie Nate once saw on pay per view in Italy.  Damn, the fact that he’d just seen Sophie in a red dress and was missing his anniversary with Maggie had taken him to viewing the worst porn in all creation.  This was before the internet took over the industry. 

“Your refractory period is fascinating, Nate,” Sophie said as she rubbed up against him. “No drinks today?”

“Why would I need a drink when I have you.”

“Equating me to a drink is not earning you any points right now.”

“If I say you’re the right kind of addiction, would that make you feel a bit better?”

“Not necessarily. But I do like what your hands are doing right at this moment. More of that, please.”

It had only been an hour or so, but the fact that Sophie’s luscious body was directly below his made him want her even more.  After almost a dozen years of foreplay, they still couldn’t get enough of one another.  His record was three times in one day. He wondered if he tried, he could break that record.  Reducing his alcohol content had helped quite a bit. Not that he was going to go cold turkey. This was better than the alcohol. His head was clearer than it had been in the past four years.

He had fantasy after fantasy of Sophie during the time he was imprisoned.  He could hold in a moan with the best of them. That wasn’t always the case with his fellow inmates. He understood the need.  He hadn’t had sex in a few years, so he definitely understood. His hand just wasn’t what he wanted.

As Sophie captured him between her breasts, he knew he wouldn’t come from just that. It felt so damn good though.  Her tongue darted out with each thrust. Maybe he wasn’t correct in his assessment.

Sophie was right when she said that he was a bit plain vanilla.  He and Maggie were good together, but they were very young when they got married.  His experience was somewhat limited as was hers. The first time Sophie suggested something different almost made Nate’s eyes cross.  Sure, he had fantasies. But he kept most of those to himself.  Sophie was very inventive. Very inventive.

“Any lube?” Sophie asked as he slowed his thrusting. “Unless you want to run stark naked to see if there’s anything in the kitchen to use.”

“Just what I need for them to gossip about. No.  I didn’t bring any.”

“Next time then.”

“Oh, there will be a next time for that.”

Sophie smirked at him, then smacked him hard on the ass for him to get up.

“Tell me another fantasy of yours.”

She wanted a fantasy of his?  Or did she want a real-life story that he could embellish as he saw fit?

“How about the one time that Eliot fucked Tara over a table in the back of the bar?”

“Seriously?” Sophie asked.  “That minx. Or is this fantasy, because I wish I could have been there for that.”

“Well, I came at the very tail end of it.”

“Pun definitely intended I’m sure.”

“Pants were down around the knees, so it must have been a quickie.  I’ve never told anyone.”

“Neither has Tara. That bitch.”

Nate pulled Sophie flush with him, both on their knees now.

“You tell her everything? Even this?”

“She’s just as big a voyeur as you are.”

“Really?”

“I may have embellished a little.”

“What’s there to embellish?”

“True. She does think you’re a stud.”

Nate laughed at Sophie’s statement. “Sophie, it’s only been an hour.”

“Hour and a half.”

“It might not happen.”

“Doesn’t mean I can’t have some fun.”

Sophie fell over onto the bed, bringing him with her. As he spooned against her backside, he thought about what she was wanting. Not only did she think he could give her multiple orgasms (which he had on several occasions), she thought he could do the same.

“You usually give me more time.”

“It’s snowing. We’re stuck here until the road clears. You’re naked. I’m naked. And now I know that Tara and Eliot went at it. What’s not to like?”

“Turn over a bit so I can show you.”

Sophie turned her upper body, so he had access to what he wanted.  She loved it when he paid attention to her breasts. She didn’t want rough though and had told him the first night that she was very sensitive.  His lips, that tongue. Sophie groaned out a sigh as he took her nipple inside his mouth.

Trope #1—Sophie is Nate’s next addiction.

Trope #2—Nate fantasizes about Sophie constantly, particularly in prison after they kiss.

Trope #3 (Canon ??)—Nate hasn’t had sex with anyone between Maggie and his relationship with Sophie. Probably canon.

Trope #4:  Maggie and Nate marry very young.  We don’t know though. We can only guess.

Trope #5—Sophie introduces Nate to some interesting things in the bedroom.

Trope #6—Eliot and Tara have sex, in the bar’s back room.

Trope #7—Tara’s a voyeur too.

Trope #8—And this is a trope that almost all fanfic writers use:  the fact that a male can have sex yet again after a few minutes. I always mention this because no, it’s not that easy. Research is your friend.  So is the fact that Nate is almost 50 (actually older, but who’s counting how old the actor is), so there is that.  Sophie, on the other hand, is probably having multiples every single time.


	6. Eliot, Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh Eliot. You voyeur, you. He seems to be in love with everyone. We're all in love with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh geez, one of my biggest tropes is the fact that the whole team seem to be voyeurs. Look at what they do! I have a whole series centered around this. Mine always include sex though. *whistles* My man Eliot seems to be half in love with his whole team. Why else would he stay with them other than he loves them and protects them? Now I kind of feel like I need to write Sophie and Eliot together. Not sure if I can though. There's one fic that has Sophie and Eliot having angry sex the first season (I didn't write it. Excellent writing). Go seek it out. It's so good.

Chapter Six—Eliot, Part Two

Canon #1—Eliot thinks that Parker and Sophie can take care of themselves. He thinks that Nate and Hardison cannot.

Canon #2—Eliot figures out in that first episode that Nate and Sophie have a thing for each other. He isn’t the only one that figures it out (Hardison and the chair roll).

Canon #3—Both Nate and Eliot protect what is theirs, to an extreme.

Canon #4—Eliot has had lots of sexual partners.

 

Shit, dammit, not again. Eliot had just gone to sleep when he heard another moan from Sophie. It wasn’t loud at all, but Eliot’s hearing was just too damn sensitive. Maybe he should go and bang on their door to knock it off.  They couldn’t have waited until they were back in Boston?  Why couldn’t have Hardison and Parker waited too?  Eliot would have to pay a visit to one or more of his friends when he got back in town.

Only Nate wasn’t stopping doing whatever he doing to Sophie that made her make that noise.  It hit him low in the gut when he heard it again. 

He often wondered what it would have been like to take Sophie to bed. Only she seemed devoted to Nate from day one.  Even if she did fight with Nate to the point of almost hitting him since he was being such an ass, Eliot never thought she would turn to him.  There were a few times, like when they were in Miami, when Eliot thought she was at her breaking point.  Then Nate would pull a rabbit out of his hat and pull her back into his orbit.  Eliot would be left out in the cold since that was when Sophie would almost pull Eliot into her orbit.  It just wasn’t fair, but that was his own fault for succumbing to both their charms.

And what charms they both did have.  Sophie had legs that went on forever, especially when she wore those sky-high heels. Her dark eyes sparkled in the moonlight, her skin looked soft and inviting while her silky voice drew him in with just saying his name.  Then she went and tried to con the team. That turned him off until she came back from her self exile.  Working with her again, that close since Nate had to go and get himself arrested, had made that lust come back with a vengeance.  Nate wasn’t around. Why would he care.

Only Sophie concentrated on the team’s workings.  There were glances occasionally.  Then Nate’s name would come up again and it was lost to the wind. There were times, late at night as they schemed and planned, that he really wanted to tell Sophie how he felt.  Then there was Parker.  Dammit. Why was it so hard? Parker would smile or sigh or do something entirely surprising, and Eliot would just cave.  He didn’t think she knew of her effect on the male of the species. The females of the group sure did have a hold on him, but it was the other two that challenged him.  Nate and Hardison were both asses, but they were his assholes.  No one, no one could touch them.  Both Parker and Sophie could take care of themselves for the most part.  Nate or Hardison could not.

He’d encountered Nate several times over the course of his retrieving career but had never let the insurance investigator get closer than a city between them.  The man was just too smart for his own good.  Then Dubenich hired the group.  When he saw who was in charge, Eliot just laughed his ass off.  Nate would know him, intimately.  It made Eliot tingle just a bit knowing that Nate knew him better than most.  And he proved that he indeed did know Eliot quite well.

Only when he saw Sophie approach, saw how Nate stood talking to her, he knew he’d never mean more to the man than Sophie did.  There was history with a capital H.  He understood. Sophie had drawn him in too.

Nate turned into the biggest jerk this side of the Atlantic that first year, but he’d shown Eliot that he could be an asset, be part of a team that could do some good.  It didn’t matter though, because once they all went their own ways, that was it. Until Boston and The Sound of Music.  One job turned into two, turned into Nate’s apartment being the gathering place, which turned into Leverage being reunited for good. Then Sophie left and it all almost fell apart.  Eliot knew he wasn’t enough for Nate. She had to be there to get him moving, to keep him on his path.  Eliot accepted that, knew that in his mind he meant what he meant. He was their hitter, he kept them safe.  Only no one could keep him safe from Hardison and Parker.  Nate and Sophie were almost unattainable.  Parker and Hardison were laid out for him, for the taking. 

From Parker’s poking to Hardison’s buddy friendship, Eliot knew he could never live without the two.  Even though he complained about Parker’s antics or he got frustrated with Hardison’s squeamishness, he knew he could come to love the two of them just the way they were, two goofs who had hearts of gold.  He’d protect them with his last breath if need be just as Nate would protect Sophie the same. Maybe that’s where he and Nate could commiserate.  They both protected what was theirs, even if it wasn’t romantic and it was just friendship. Nothing more, nothing less.

The groan from Nate had Eliot getting off the sofa to explore what they were doing.  Eliot wasn’t made of steel. He felt these kinds of things deeply.  Even though he had lots of partners, he knew he could never trust them completely. Eliot could trust his team completely.  They’d never hurt him intentionally, and they understood him like no other.

No wonder he kept hearing them. The door was ajar, probably because the handle wasn’t latching properly.  The whole cabin was deep in shadows from lack of electric lighting and no sun.  As he pushed the door open just slightly, he noticed Sophie in all her glory, arms in the air as she moved over Nate. His hands were all over her, skimming her breasts, making her nipples peak as his thumbs circled and tugged.  It didn’t take Sophie long to bow back, shake with delight as she was overcome with an intense orgasm.  Eliot watched as Sophie bent over to whisper in Nate’s ear. He smiled up at her as she slowly sat up, pulling him out of her. Round two, Eliot groaned in his head.

Sophie buried her head in a pillow as Nate spread her legs enough to enter her from behind.  As he started up again, he saw Sophie turn her head toward the door. Shit, he was busted. She smiled his way but didn’t indicate to Nate at all that he was there watching.  Nate was way too busy moving against her. It took him a few more minutes, but Eliot could see he was almost there when Sophie squirmed against him, wanting more friction than he was giving her. His hand snaked down in front of Sophie, providing what she needed to come yet again as he finally finished for himself. Sophie winked Eliot’s way as Nate collapsed into her. Backing away fast, Eliot pulled the door closed as quietly as possible so that Nate would not notice.

Trope #1—Eliot has very sensitive hearing.

Trope #2—Eliot likes to watch. I’ve use this way too much.

Trope #3—Eliot thinks about what it would be like to have sex with Sophie.

Trope #4—Eliot also thinks about Parker and sex.

Trope #5—Eliot thinks about Nate that way. He also knows that Nate is unattainable because of Sophie.

Trope #6—Both Parker and Hardison are attainable by Eliot.


	7. Nate and Sophie, Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Nate and Sophie know that they could never hurt Eliot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sex. Explicit.

Chapter Seven—Nate and Sophie, Part Three

Canon #1 (maybe I’m just hearing things)—Sometimes Nate does sound like Hardison.  Hardison has a very particular way of speaking. Nate has picked up some of his vernacular.

 

Sophie had whispered to Nate that they had a visitor, but he insisted that they keep going and they did.  So, he was quite kinky, letting Eliot watch what they were doing.  Would this change the team’s dynamics, exploding at some point? Or would Eliot never mention that he’d watched them being intimate.  It didn’t matter now since Nate was most certainly doing his job admirably.  Not once, but twice for her. As the saying went, he was on fire and by the look on Eliot’s face, was helping him out too.  She would have loved to pull him into this and tell him that she felt something but knew that the man would never let her.  He and Nate had too many barriers, too much pride and stubbornness to go there.  Hardison and Parker did not, so as soon as she could, she’d push him toward the younger two and vice versa. 

“He left?” Nate whispered in her ear after he collapsed against her back.

“Unless you think you have another one in you?”

“I didn’t think I had another one before. Geez, Sophie. Two?”

“You do your job quite well, darling. You have several body parts that are magic.”

Nate chuckled as he slumped away from her.

“Soph, I don’t want to hurt him. We can’t. You know that.”

“I do know that.  He’s just a bit confused. I do see how he looks at you though.  Sterling looks at you like that too.”

Nate coughed a bit when she said that. “Seriously? Now I’m gonna have nightmares.”

“You are quite the sexy beast, Nate.”

“Again, with the seriously.”

“And you’re starting to sound like Hardison.”

Squealing with delight as Nate tackled her back to the bed, Sophie sighed as his hands worked over her body, not caring one bit that she just had two intense orgasms a mere ten minutes before.

“You are a wench.”

“Have any more body parts I could use?”

Even in the dark of the room, Sophie could see him arch his eyebrows back at her, his eyes huge with wonder.

“Insatiable wench then.”

Trope #1—Nate is quite kinky.

Trope #2—Sophie wants a three way with Nate and Eliot.

Trope #3—Sophie pushes Eliot Hardison and Parker’s way.

Trope #4—Nate would never have a three way with Sophie and Eliot.

Trope #5—Sterling looks at Nate like he wanted to have sex too when he’s working with the team.

Trope #6—Nate is very good at sex. He has to be. He most certainly has the eye sexing down on the show with Sophie. 

Trope #7—Sophie is insatiable.  She has to be.  She’s in her prime.

 


	8. Strip Poker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team plays strip poker to pass the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I mean, what else could they do other than visit the bedroom. We all know Parker and stripping in front of people. Why not the whole team?

Chapter Eight—Strip Poker

Canon #1—Hardison thinks of Nate as a father figure.

Canon #2—Sophie acts like a mother figure to them all.

Canon #3—Both Nate and Sophie act as mentors to Hardison, and sometimes the team when it’s needed.

Canon #4—Parker would not mind taking her clothes off for strip poker. Nate would have the hardest time taking off his clothes for strip poker.

Canon #5—Nate and Hardison argue constantly about whose apartment it really is. Nate has no privacy.

 

Hardison sat and watched Eliot late that night, wondering what was up with his friend.  Eliot was very grumpy, not eyeing anyone. There must have been a secret and El did not want to share and it was making him a shithead.  Hardison hated it when Eliot was feeling this way.  He did not want to be blamed for the mood. Hardison felt like it was his job to make Eliot feel better.

Confusion crossed his face as he watched Parker sit next to Eliot and poke him.  Was he jealous of what Parker had told him?  Were there feelings for Eliot from both?  Hardison just wasn’t sure about anything. The dynamics of the team was changing, adjusting to a new normal. He’d never tell Nate and Sophie that they couldn’t have a relationship, just like he couldn’t tell Eliot how to live his life.

Why did this make it seem all so damn confusing?  Hardison was always a guy that went with the flow in everything from getting up in the morning, to sex with a partner.  He didn’t have that much experience with either gender, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t fantasize.  And fantasize he did about Eliot and Parker, sometimes together. While it did creep him out a little bit regarding Sophie and Nate, it probably was just an age thing. He was the youngest on the team, in years and in experience.  Nate was old enough to be his father and Sophie did take on the roll of mother on occasion. At least the two older members were mentors. Still made it weird to talk about them as sexual creatures. With Eliot, he had no problem thinking that way. And Parker had made his dreams come true that very day.

“We should play a game,” Parker insisted as she pulled out all the board games she could find.

“Poker,” Nate mentioned as he saw the cards on the table.

“Strip poker?” Parker asked.

“We gotta make it fair though. No putting on five pairs of socks or anything.”

Nate’s eyes bulged a little bit as Hardison suggested they actually play this card game.

“Alright. One pair of socks.  One sweater. One shirt. Pair of pants. Underwear.”

Sophie was agreeing to this.

“What about your bra?”

“Undershirt?  Hat, no gloves because it’s too hard to play otherwise.”

Nate rolled his eyes, but finally shook his head to agree. They all went to their perspective bedrooms to find those articles of clothes to make it even for everyone.  Only Nate met the criteria up front since Sophie had to retrieve her hat. 

The first game Nate won, so he picked the person he wanted to remove an item of clothes. They all agreed that if everyone who lost removed something, they’d end up only playing a few hands.  Nate picked Hardison. The next game, Eliot won, so he chose Parker, who made it a show of taking off one sock. The next hand Eliot won again, with Sophie taking off her hat. Then Hardison won on a pair of twos (who wins on a pair of twos), making Eliot take off something.  The sock it was. Sophie finally won a hand on bluffing (she was good at bluffing), which in turn made Nate take something off.  The sweatshirt it was since it was getting a bit warm from Nate’s fire building skills.

The next hand Nate totally trounced everyone, so he picked Sophie to remove something. The sweater was off and in a pile.  So, the game went.  Parker was the first with her shirt off, but she didn’t seem to care that everyone saw her bra, with even Sophie commenting that it was a lovely bra. Hardison almost choked as he listened to Sophie. Nate just smirked his way. Eliot was next with the shirt removal.  Hardison took his pants off first, thinking that being in his boxers really wasn’t that bad. 

It was Nate who had a hard time taking off his shirt. He literally ripped it off when Sophie chose him to lose an article of clothing.  Dude was too serious for his own good, Hardison thought.  So, what if he had a dad bod. If Hardison could think like Nate thought at that age, he’d take that any day of the year.  The man was way smarter than he was.  Parker poked Nate in the ribs, then dealt the next hand. That helped Nate relax just a bit. Parker won the next hand, making Sophie take off her shirt (she still had her pants on, but Hardison did not mind the view).  Both Eliot and Nate kept looking over at Sophie’s push up bra like they were thinking she’d pop out of the thing at any moment.

Hardison had a really bad run of it, so he was down to his boxers. That meant he either had to win or convince the next winner to choose someone else to strip down.  Nate still had on his undershirt and boxers, while the ladies still had on their bras and underwear.  Eliot still had his hat and boxers. Hardison was most definitely in danger of losing it all.  His luck did not run out because on the next hand, he managed to pull off the upset and lay down three of a kind.

“Eliot, my man. You’re next.”

Instead of taking off the beanie, Eliot stripped off the boxers right in front of everyone.

“My head’s cold,” he mentioned as everyone else turned just a bit to give him privacy.

“That’s not what I’m thinking,” Parker joked back. 

Parker won the next hand.  She sat there going eeny meenie minie mo between Nate and Sophie, when she landed on Sophie.  Either Sophie was that good an actress or she really didn’t mind everyone seeing her, as she stripped off the bra, it landing directly in the middle of the table. Even Parker was speechless, which was a first.  Nate’s neck was bright pink while Eliot attempted to keep his eyes forward, only losing the battle when Sophie shifted in her seat. Hardison swore she was sticking her chest out more just to get attention.

The next hand Eliot won, thereby making Nate strip off his undershirt. Damn, he was grey almost everywhere. Made Hardison wonder if Nate used some kind of Just for Men on his head to make him look a bit younger. Even the scruff on Nate’s face had a bit of grey tint to it.  Not that he would point that out, ever.

Nate won the next round.  He almost chose Eliot, but then decided at the last minute that Parker should do the honors.  Parker, instead of choosing the bra, stripped out of her underwear and sat back down with a thump. They’d decided on towels very early on because the feel of leather on the backside would not be comfortable. Hardison kept trying to not look at Eliot, but then his eyes would travel over to Sophie and her incredible body.  Only Parker wasn’t showing much, but he’d already seen that.  The next hand Eliot won. He turned to Hardison and pointed his way.

“Really?  Me?  Alright. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Nate’s eyes were glued to the ceiling while the others looked their fill.  Once that was over with, it was Parker’s turn to win (it had been a little while). She chose Sophie to lose the rest of her clothes. As Sophie rose from her chair, it was almost like a dance as she slowly lowered her underwear. She was stripping, literally stripping right in front of them.  Parker smiled with glee as Nate and Eliot held in a groan. Eliot’s hat came off next, then Parker’s bra. The only one left was Nate.

“I win,” Nate said as he got up from the table. 

“Oh no, you don’t.  Hiding cards?”

“Where?” he asked Sophie. The man had a point.

“Point taken. Come on. Give up the goods.”

“Goods?” Nate responded to Sophie.

“Nate, man, if the two of us (Hardison pointed to himself and Eliot) can lose the boxers, so can you. Not like we haven’t seen it before.”

Sophie smirked at Nate.  “You have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Oh, really?” Parker commented as she looked down at Nate’s crotch.

“Most definitely.”

If Nate wasn’t bright red by then, now he was.

“We’re done. I can’t (Nate coughed) hold a candle to the younger members.”

“Ok, so if Sophie says you have nothing to worry about, then why don’t you do it?” Parker chided.

“Be a man,” Eliot added.

“We’re all hanging out here for all to see,” Hardison finished.

“Fuck.  Soph. I drop them, then put them back on. I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

Parker smiled back at him. “Never.”

Nate stood up, dropped his boxers, then sat back down as quickly as he could.

“Soph, you were right,” Parker said as she looked toward the grifter.

“I told you.”

Nate watched the two, going back and forth between the two ladies.  Hardison had no idea why the man would be embarrassed.

“You talked about my… What? Soph?”

“She said it was pretty impressive. She was right.”

Everyone started to laugh, until Nate decided to join in too.

“The four of you are so fucking embarrassing,” Nate commented.

“Nah. We just don’t mind walking around naked. Let’s just not do this when we are in the office. ‘K?”

“It’s my apartment.”

“Yeah, well. Also, our office.”

“Not my choice.”

“You have the upstairs.”

With that, Hardison got up and started to walk around.  Sophie and Parker bumped hands like some kind of sporting event.

“Have the two of you talked about me too?” Hardison screeched.

Sophie pointed to all three men, then put her thumbs up like she approved.  Parker emulated Sophie’s gesture as she got up. Nate was the only one who was uncomfortable seeing them all naked, so he took his leave as quickly as possible.

“Ok, so Hardison does have the nicest ass, but Nate’s isn’t bad,” Parker said as Nate made his way to the stairs.

Trope #1—Playing strip poker instead of regular poker to pass the time.

Trope #2—Hardison doesn’t know whether he likes Eliot, Parker or both.

Trope #3—No one would be better at poker on the team. Nah, Nate would probably beat all of them since he knows each of their tells, but not for this game.

Trope #4—Sophie and Parker talk about their team’s physical attributes.

Trope #5—Does Nate actually color his hair?

 


	9. Parker, Hardison, and Eliot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parker, Hardison, and Eliot make some decisions regarding their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is not explicit. I've never written the three of them together like that and am not sure I ever will. We know that they are, but since this is just the start of what could be permanent, I didn't go there. I love watching the three of them together though. And it's ALMOST canon. Thanks for reading. I think I'm done with this for now, but there may be a time I might revisit if I see that my writing is starting to include even more tropes. There are too many to count right now. When I read through my fics, I spot almost every single one of them (not all at the same time).

Chapter Nine—Parker, Hardison and Eliot

Canon #1—OTP3. Come on. Fight me on this. It’s _almost_ canon. There are so many hints and actions that I’ve never seen on a show before.

Canon #2—Parker likes to poke Eliot whenever he’s feeling down.

Canon #3—Parker dangles Tara over the side of the building because she thinks Tara gives them up to the bad guys.

Canon #5—Eliot is afraid to have a relationship because of his past.

Canon #6--Eliot worries he might split up the team.

Canon #7—Eliot has many “friends with benefits”.

Canon #8—Nate does not play well with others, particularly when it comes to Sophie.

Canon #9—Nate has control issues.

Canon #10—With Nate and Sophie, who knows who’s on top.

Canon #11—Nate challenges Eliot more than anyone else has in his life.

Canon #12—Eliot likes to fight sometimes.

Canon #13—Sometimes there is no space between Hardison, Parker and Eliot. No personal space. Those three shots that they use all the time prove it!

 

Parker poked him again after he put his pants back on. He hadn’t done the shirt yet because the downstairs was too warm. Eliot had intended to open the door if just for a while, but then they’d lose the heat too fast.  Less clothes would help for a while.

“Parker, do the two of you really talk about us? I mean, you know.”

Parker settled down beside him, looking serious now.  “It only happened once. We were super drunk, right after the Venezuelan embassy thing.  Come on. Girls talk too.”

“It’s just, weird, I guess.  I mean, yeah, we see men all the time in locker rooms, but for the most part, we don’t talk about women’s parts and stuff.”

“We were super drunk, and Sophie was giving me advice, finally. Then I told her about Tara, so she shared something that happened to her.”

Eliot’s eyebrows shot up, wondering what had happened between her and the other grifter.

“What?  I looked. Alright. Nothing like that happened. I just dangled her over the building for a few minutes until she told me she contacted Sophie about the arms dealers.  Gutter, Eliot.”

So, his mind did go there, if just for a moment.  Even if they did get drunk, he doubted he’d ever talk with Hardison and Nate about how well built both Parker and Sophie were. Now they all had proof, but he knew that.  It just wasn’t his style to gossip about women’s bodies.  To him, all women were beautiful.

“I mean, Tara is stunning. I just didn’t know if you swung that way. It’s ok if you do.”

“She is pretty great. Out of my league though. I tend to like hackers and hitters more,” popped out of Parker’s mouth.

Did she just say she liked hitters and hackers more? 

“Yeah, you’re pretty great and so is Hardison. Alright. I said it. Whatcha’ gonna do about it?”

Eliot was shocked. It wasn’t something he’d ever tell anyone. They were all close, sometimes too close if the evening’s activities were any indication.  Now they’d all seen everything dealing with their bodies. Too bad they all had problems sharing what was on their minds.  Maybe Eliot didn’t want to know. That would be a slippery slope he wasn’t willing to traverse.

“You’re great too, Parker,” Eliot told her hesitantly.

“If I were to tell you you’re more than great, would you be mad?”

Eliot turned his head to look at Parker. She had her serious face, eyes just tearing up enough for him to know she’d thought long and hard telling him her feelings. They didn’t do feelings in this group until it all burst out, flooding the areas around their hearts.  Dammit, Parker.

“Parker,” he started.

“I know. You have issues.  You’re scared you’ll hurt us. You’re scared of your past. We know. I mean, we don’t know everything, but we understand. None of us are perfect.”

Instead of making Parker stop talking about why they’d work together with a hand or something, he pulled Parker to him and kissed her. Eliot had no idea why he’d done it. It just seemed right.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” Eliot whispered to her as he pulled away.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I know you think you’re not supposed to be loved, but you are.”

Eliot watched as a lone tear escaped to settle on her jaw until it slowly dropped to her shirt, leaving a tiny wet spot just above her breast.

“Eliot, you can breathe now.”

Eliot hadn’t known he wasn’t breathing. Taking that deep breath, he looked down at her strong hands, hands that had supported him for these last four years without question.

“Remember when I told you not to ask. Now you’re asking. I don’t know if I can. I don’t want you to leave me if this blows up. Because it can and will. I don’t have a good track record.”

“The one and done?  One-night stands are alright, but Eliot, don’t you think it’s time to settle down?  Or at least explore what this could mean?”

Eliot watched as Nate and Sophie danced around each other, realized all the time that they had wasted arguing the last four years until finally realizing they were what each other needed at this time in their lives.

“It could mean that we would split up to never see each other again.”

“It’s not gonna be perfect.”

“I don’t want to hurt you or Hardison.”

“Well, maybe you should ask Hardison whether he could be hurt or not.”

Eliot hadn’t heard Hardison enter the room. Hardison usually was noisy when he entered a room. He’d learned from going into Nate’s apartment that it was good to announce your presence.

“I don’t know how to do this,” Eliot said as he looked from Hardison to Parker.

“Neither do we. I mean, if you just want to be friends, or maybe friends with benefits, we get it.”

Eliot sighed, closing his eyes. He wondered often if he could be that with Nate and Sophie, but that’s all it would ever be. He had that now with about twenty other people, so it wasn’t what he wanted. He wanted something he could build on, not sex and a shove out the door. Both Nate and Sophie were so lost in each other, there was no room for a third. Besides, Nate did not share very well with others, particularly when it came to Sophie.

“If you want to be friends with Nate and Sophie, we understand,” Parker announced.

“No,” Eliot vehemently responded.

“I mean, talk about control issues.  I just can’t figure out who’s on top in that relationship,” Hardison casually commented.

“You’ve thought about that?” Eliot asked.

“A little.”

“Come on. You know you want to know,” Parker added.

“Betcha Sophie gives him a run for his money.”

“You saw them?” both Parker and Hardison said together.

“She’s a screamer. I had to check. Could have been a bear or something.”

“Or something,” Hardison laughed a little.

“He’s probably good with his mouth.”

“Parker,” Hardison and Eliot admonished the thief.

“Seriously. You all listen to him on the comms. Don’t tell me you don’t get a bit tingly when he bosses you around.”

“No,” Eliot denied.

“No way,” Hardison quickly followed.

“Liars.”

Hardison came around to sit beside Parker, scooting her over until she was snuggled against Eliot.

“Oh please. The two of you lie so hard. You both have tells.”

“All he does is bark orders,” Hardison said as he took Parker’s hand in his.

“That sometimes piss me off.”

“Oh right. You know you like it when you can fight.”

Eliot did like a good fight, if there wasn’t a chance for anyone else to get hurt.

“Nate gives you what you want. He challenges you. He sends you in to take care of things.”

“Aphrodisiac.  Tell me you don’t get off on it sometimes,” Hardison asked, smile on his face.

“What? I don’t like getting hurt. And you deal with his drunk ass when things do go wrong?  Huh?”

“I usually disappear into an air duct.”

“I take my computer and go home. What? You stick around for the fallout?”

“Mostly not. Still. You haven’t carried his lazy ass up the stairs from the bar.”

“Nope.”

“He’s too heavy for me.”

There wasn’t any space between the three of them.  Parker was their anchor, but Eliot could tell that Hardison was in this too, one hundred percent.

“What do we do?”

“Whatever you want.”

“I wanna see you both naked again,” Parker said as she pulled them both in further.

“Take our time. Figure out what everyone wants.”

“You’re slow playing it again, Hardison. I’m just telling you. You’re slow playing it just a little too much.”

That was the same thing that Eliot had told him outside that Mexican bar a few weeks ago.  And here he was jumping into this whatever it was with both feet. Parker kissed his cheek, then kissed Hardison’s.

“I’m up for some snuggling and possibly some sleep. Who’s with me?”

Parker stood up and put a hand out for each to take.  Hardison did right away.  Eliot looked at the sincerity of the other two and took her hand in his.  Hardison reached over to clasp his other hand.  Both so different in coloring, strength and size.  But they all fit so well together.

“Who’s in the middle?” Eliot asked as they made it to the stairs.

“We could flip a coin?” Hardison said as he took the stairs first.

“Me. Me. Pick me.”

“No kicking, Parker. Remember when we had to share a bed in Nebraska. You kicked.”

“I remember you taking up the whole bed, pushing me out until I landed on the floor.”

Both argued until they made it onto the bed.  Eliot growled a little to settle them down. Both cuddled up against the other until Parker’s hand snaked out to pull him close.

He was going to regret this one day. Now he wouldn’t think about it. He’d just enjoy it and think about what he was going to tell Nate, because the man would be pissed that the dynamics were changing yet again.

“Stop thinking,” Parker whispered.

“They’re just gonna have to deal,” Hardison added as his large hands worked into Eliot’s hair.

Eliot never slept so well in his life.

Trope #1—Nate, Hardison and Eliot never talk about Sophie and Parker. Ever. Maybe because they could kill the men in their sleep and no one could ever prove they did it.

Trope #2—Parker and Tara had sex.

Trope #3—Parker reveals her feelings to Eliot.

Trope #4 (Canon ??)—Parker thinks that Tara is stunning.  Yep, it is probably canon. Season two.

Trope #5—Eliot really likes women.  Not to say he couldn’t like men.

Trope #6—Eliot and Parker kiss.

Trope #7 (Canon ??)—Eliot tells Parker not to ask about his past. Could he mean other things like loving him too?  Maybe.

Trope #8—Eliot sees Nate and Sophie have sex. Hasn’t everyone on that team by now walk in on this?

Trope #9—Parker gets all tingly when Nate is bossing them around on comms. So does Sophie.

Trope #10 (Canon ??)—Both Eliot and Hardison have tells that their team members know about and use to their advantage. We do know that Hardison has a tell when they play rock, paper, scissors.

Trope #11—Everyone else disappears when Nate gets too drunk to handle. Sophie sometimes sticks around, but it’s usually Eliot who has to take his drunk ass home.

Trope #12—Parker doesn’t stay still when she sleeps.

Trope #13—Eliot sleeps well when both Hardison and Parker are near.


End file.
